As Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary prepares to host its conference celebrating the Anabaptist Movement on January 30-31, 2012, Jason G. Duesing presents his synthesis of Pilgram Marpeck’s (d. 1556) view of believer’s baptism in his five-part series, “Pilgram Marpeck’s Christian Baptism.”
In Marpeck’s Confession, he contrasts the reasonableness of infant baptism based on circumcision with the simplicity of faith in Christ. Where paedo-baptizer’s appeal to a sign of the Old Covenant, Christian baptism is a witness of the believer’s New Covenant faith.[1] Indeed, this is a major theme for Marpeck as it appears in all of his writings on the subject. It is in the midst of this that Marpeck reveals two aspects of Christian baptism as a witness. Read More »
As Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary prepares to host its conference celebrating the Anabaptist Movement on January 30-31, 2012, Jason G. Duesing presents his synthesis of Pilgram Marpeck’s (d. 1556) view of believer’s baptism in his five-part series, “Pilgram Marpeck’s Christian Baptism.”
Marpeck believes Christian baptism should have an everlasting effect on the life of the Christian and on the life of the church. With regard to the Christian, Marpeck starts again with Matt 28, “Christ says, with reference to baptism, that we are to baptize them in the name of God (Matt 28:19). It is the same as if He would say, ‘baptize them in such a way that they may call upon the name of God and remain in God.’”[1] Remaining in God, for Marpeck, is the result of a life transaction through which the Christian undergoes upon conversion. Read More »
As Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary prepares to host its conference celebrating the Anabaptist Movement on January 30-31, 2012, Jason G. Duesing presents his synthesis of Pilgram Marpeck’s (d. 1556) view of believer’s baptism in his five-part series, “Pilgram Marpeck’s Christian Baptism.”
Pilgram Marpeck recognizes that among those who practiced infant baptism there were two kinds. On one hand, there were the Roman Catholics who “practice idolatry when they vest their salvation in baptism.”[1] On the other hand, there were the Magisterial Reformers who “baptize, not out of faith, but out of uncertainty.”[2] Marpeck cuts plainly through them both by maintaining that “Scripture speaks only of one conscious, confessed, and acknowledged baptism based on faith. It does not speak of baptism of unconscious people.”[3] Read More »
As Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary prepares to host its conference celebrating the Anabaptist Movement on January 30-31, 2012, Jason G. Duesing presents his synthesis of Pilgram Marpeck’s (d. 1556) view of believer’s baptism in his five-part series, “Pilgram Marpeck’s Christian Baptism.”
The essence of Marpeck’s critique of infant baptism can be summarized by seeing the practice as a failure to follow Christ’s command.[1] Marpeck believes that this command of Christ, found in Matthew 28, contains more than just instructions, but also a specific order for baptismal practice.[2] For Marpeck’s immediate audience, this was an important point of clarification as there were many Spiritualists who claimed that with the death of the Apostles there were no longer any pertinent commands in Scripture concerning baptism.[3] Read More »
As Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary prepares to host its conference celebrating the Anabaptist Movement on January 30-31, 2012, Jason G. Duesing presents his synthesis of Pilgram Marpeck’s (d. 1556) view of believer’s baptism in his five-part series, “Pilgram Marpeck’s Christian Baptism.”
Pilgram Marpeck (d. 1556) was the second most influential theologian among the evangelical Anabaptist movement.[1] In his recent work, The Formation of Christian Doctrine, Malcolm Yarnell concludes that “At the theological headwaters of the believers’ church movement stands [Pilgram Marpeck’s] theological method …. On this foundation and from these principles are derived the free churches’ understanding of the proper development of doctrine.”[2] Rollin Armour considers Pilgram Marpeck to have “articulated perhaps the most thoughtful interpretation of baptism among the Anabaptists.”[3] Considering that unlike most Anabaptist theologians Marpeck served as a civil magistrate and not a cleric, Armour’s words are significant.[4] Harold Bender describes Marpeck’s life as “a good illustration of the transition from Catholicism via Lutheranism to Anabaptism” in that he moved directly from one tradition to the next as directed by the Scriptures.[5] Pilgram Marpeck was “loyally Biblical [sic]” not only in his daily life, but also his theological life, especially in the development of his theology of baptism.[6] Read More »
